A Virgin will appear in the village of Châteauvieux in Pionnat (Creuse). Thanks to the mobilization of a resident and her entire association, a new statue will be installed 50 years after the disappearance of the last one. It may seem trivial, but until its disappearance this statue was a real “attraction” for all the villagers.
“She was part of the village”
There was a certain fervor
To access the Virgin, you have to go deep into the forest for several minutes. The new 1m20 statue (for the moment protected by a black bag), sits in a very small cave, just above a huge, slightly raised granite rock: “I think it’s a relaxing place, a bit mysterious” confides Marie-Thérèse Guittard, it was she who wanted to reinstall a statue of the Virgin. The old statue had gradually disappeared in the 1970s, due to lack of maintenance: “It started to get damaged, to split and as it was made of terracotta, I think the frost ended up damaging it completely. For 50 years, there was no virgin”. No more Virgin Mary in Châteauvieux, a sacrilege for Marie-Thérèse: “It is part of the small heritage of the town. As we have the dolmens of Ménardeix, we have the Virgin of Châteauvieux”. This statue was actually a real attraction for all the locals. First, for the great Ascension procession every year but not only. The villagers went there regularly : “We all lived with this virgin, believers and non-believers. It was not even a question of religion! She was part of the village” says Marie-Thérèse. She continues: “At this season, at the time of lily of the valley, we would pick up the lily of the valley and as we passed by, we left a small bouquet for the Virgin. There was a certain fervor”. Residents even left a few coins in the interstices of the rock.
– Flavien Groyer
Successful bet for Marie-Thérèse
Marie-Thérèse then took it into her head to reinstall the Virgin, she who was the last person born in Châteauvieux. She created an association called “Page Vierge”. She then meets people interested in the project at her “big surprise”. “I thought it would not interest anyone and I was wrong” she said, all smiles. The project then took another magnitude thanks to “generous donors”. The granite block was offered free of charge to the association. A sculptor from La Souterraine (Creuse) then agreed to sculpt the Virgin. The statue measures 1m20 like the previous one but “it is completely different, it is more modern but I won’t say more because you have to come and discover it”. The inauguration of the new Virgin Mary will be held this Sunday, May 15 at 2 p.m. The meeting is given in the village of Châteauvieux. A vicar (representative of the bishop), a priest and nuns will be present. The statue will then be blessed.
– Flavien Groyer
The still unknown story of the Virgin
I have no historical references, nor oral tradition
But then who installed the previous Virgin? When and why? So many unanswered questions. “I have no historical references or oral tradition. I mainly refer to my family” explains Marie-Thérèse Guittard. However, she has one certainty: “She was there in the 1870s. I particularly make the connection with the Virgin of Ajain and that of Roches which date from those years”. Marie-Thérèse could now lean into the archives: “It would surprise me if there were no writings, it is to be discovered”. Maybe the next step?
– Flavien Groyer